SWN Meets… Scotty Swift

Photo credit Walk-Ash Images

Good morning/afternoon/evening, and welcome to another brand new interview right here on Scottish Wrestling Network. Today’s guest is a pioneer up in WrestleZone, having held the Undisputed Championship for a record 525 days and being a former Tag Team Champion with current ROH World Champion Jay Lethal of all people. That’s right, today we’re chatting to Scotty Swift!

What was it that initially brought you into professional wrestling?

Ironically enough it was thanks to my current tag team partner Johnny Lions that I got involved in this crazy world. WrestleZone was originally based in Fife, where Johnny played a huge part in its early incarnation. He urged me to give this a try while I was still young enough to do so.

Who were your favourite wrestlers to watch growing up, and who are your favourites to watch today?

Bret Hart was my first true hero in wrestling. As a youngster he was just about the coolest guy I’d ever seen. Naturally I loved Hulk Hogan. Randy Savage and The Ultimate Warrior made a huge impression on me as well. Today I really think a lot of Roman Reigns and John Cena. Ronda Rousey is absolute favourite right now as well.

You got your start in wrestling as part of WrestleZone, a company you’ve been with since the beginning. What have been some of your favourite matches and moments in the 10 years you’ve been part of shows?

My debut in April 2008 will always be special. You only get your first once! The first Beach Ballroom show was special. Vs Joe Coffey two years later again in the Ballroom means a lot to me. The series with Crusher Craib and the run ins with Sterling Oil also stand up for me as well.

You’ve also competed for the likes of Discovery Wrestling and Insane Championship Wrestling. Do you feel these crowds were different to the ones you were used to at WrestleZone? And are there any specific promotions you’d like to compete for in the future?

The crowds there are definitely an older demographic. I must admit I prefer family orientated crowds more and feel most at home in that environment. The experiences were positive though I must stress. I’d like to do a run with All Star Wrestling before I hang up the boots.

One of your biggest accomplishments to date was holding the Undisputed WrestleZone Championship for 525 days. How did it feel to hold the main prize in WZ for such a long period of time?

Proud but the pressure was real.

Your recent rivalry with Crusher Craib was extremely intense to watch, with Craib taking you out for a few months at the end of 2017. What are your thoughts on the rivalry as a whole? Do you think it slightly changed you as a wrestler, seeing as we saw a more aggressive side to you at times?

With what WrestleZone is I do truly believe the Swift vs Crusher series was as aggressive as WZ is capable of being considering the audience. I think the perception of me to many is I’m ‘kid friendly’ but I am more than willing to get my hands dirty and bring it if needed. I also think the No DQ match with Andy Wild at the Regal Rumble 2017 showed that as well – I have no issue taking abuse to dish it back out when the time is right.

When you’re not in the ring, you’re helping the future stars of WrestleZone, with some of the 2018 graduates including the likes of Anastasia, Ryan Riley, The Outfit, and of course Lord Michael of Graham. How proud are you of the graduates, as well as of the current trainees?

All of them. Regardless of what they do and where they go I know the Academy has been a factor in their development. To think otherwise is asinine. You can expect more to come through as time goes on. When someone makes it onto competing on shows it’s a big thrill for us as well.

And finally, what are your thoughts on the team of yourself and Johnny Lions? What name should we be using?

No comment!

Our thanks to Scotty for answering our questions.

You can catch The Red Haired Warrior in action this Sunday evening at ICW Drippin’ Like A Knackered Fridge (where he’s set to face Aaron Echo) and also next Saturday at WrestleZone Regal Rumble (where he’s set to enter the 2019 Regal Rumble Match)!